1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus and an ink jet recording method.
2. Related Art
Recently, a photo-curable ink composition which is cured by light such as UV light or electron beams has been developed. The photo-curable ink composition generally includes a polymerizable compound, a polymerization initiator, a pigment, and other additive agents or the like. In addition, generally, in the case where an image is formed by using a photo-curable ink composition, after the photo-curable ink composition is applied to a recording medium by using, for example, an ink jet recording apparatus, the photo-curable ink composition is illuminated with light by using an appropriate light source and cured.
For example, JP-A-2004-216681 discloses an image forming method where activation ray curing type ink is illuminated with activation rays by two or more illumination units. It is disclosed in JP-A-2004-216681 that the ink curing ratio is set to be in the range of 6 to 70% by using a first activation ray, and after the entire printing is ended, the ink is completely cured through sufficient illumination of the activation ray, so that it is possible to form a high-definition image.
However, in some cases, the photo-curable ink composition is used for recording on a non-absorbable recording medium such as plastic, glass, or coated paper which does not or almost not absorb ink. In such recording, the photo-curable ink composition is applied on a non-absorbable recording medium and remains with the shape of liquid droplets for a certain period without permeation into the recording media. In addition, in the case where applied liquid droplets have fluidity, for example, adjacent liquid droplets may be combined to cause color bleeding, or liquid droplets may wet and spread to cause deterioration of definition of the image.
In addition, on the contrary, if the curing ratio is increased by, for example, fully illuminating the photo-curable ink composition with light immediately after the photo-curable ink composition is applied to the non-absorbable recording medium, since the liquid droplets do not have sufficient fluidity, the image may be formed in the state where the shape of the applied liquid droplets is maintained. In this case, for example, the wetting and spreading of the liquid droplets may be insufficient, the line width may be insufficient, and the glossiness or texture of the image may be deteriorated.
In the case where an image is formed on the non-absorbable recording medium by using the photo-curable ink composition in this manner, it is relatively difficult to form a desired image. For example, as disclosed in the aforementioned JP-A-2004-216681, in the method where the curing ratio is simply set to be in the range of 6 to 70% before the ink is completely cured, the fluidity of the liquid droplets is decreased and thus a high-definition image may be obtained. However, there is a problem in that, since the fluidity is insufficient, the line width may be insufficient, or the glossiness or the texture may not necessarily be good.